The present invention relates in general to hunters' tree stands and more particularly to a safety harness that enables a hunter to be secured to a tree while in a tree-mounted tree stand.
Hunting stands are frequently used by hunters and commonly referred to as hunting blinds, tree stands, tree-mounted hunting stands, and the like. The hunting stands can take many forms; some exemplary forms include tree-mounted stands, ground-based stands, and self-supported hunting stands. Further tree stands offer various amenities contained within the stand; some exemplary amenities include seats, various stand adjustments, and mounting and storage locations for rifles, equipment and the like.
Many devices have been developed to secure the hunter in a hunting stand to improve hunter safety. As such, many devices address the scenario where the hunter installs the hunting stand above the ground. Examples of such installations include securing the hunting stand to a tree or constructing a self-supporting assembly to maintain the hunting stand above the ground. In the above examples, there is an important concern about the hunter falling from the tree stand to the ground. It is desirable to have a system allowing the hunter generally complete freedom of movement while in the tree stand. It is also desirable to provide a device that keeps the hunter safe if the hunter were to fall from the tree stand. Any safety harness must address and balance the competing interests of freedom of motion and safety during a fall.
Safety of the hunter remains the paramount concern while designing a safety harness. With that in mind, the design of a safety harness should also address many considerations such as efficiency, user-friendliness, and cost. A design of an efficient safety harness should address many factors such as preventing the hunter from falling from the stand, but also provide a comfortable and secure safety harness in the event of a fall from the stand. The design of a user-friendly harness should address many factors such as ease of use with regard to putting on and taking off the safety harness and ease of mounting the harness to the hunting stand or the tree. Any design, while providing for the safety of the hunter, must also balance the efficiency, the user-friendliness, and the cost to ultimately provide a desirable product.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus is described that safely secures a hunter to a tree while in a tree-mounted hunting stand while providing the operational flexibility to move about or on the hunting stand. The apparatus includes a mounting assembly, a linking assembly, and a body harness. The mounting assembly includes a cinching clamp, a tree loop, and a mounting bracket. The linking assembly includes a retractor, a connector, and a belt. The body harness comprises a waist belt, a buckle, leg leads, knee loops, and shoulder straps. The mounting assembly is configured to be removably secured to the tree and to the linking assembly. The linking assembly is configured to be removably secured to the mounting assembly and to the body harness. The body harness is worn by the hunter and is provided to improve the safety of the hunter while in a tree stand.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description and appended claims provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.